Inspired by daily life in the Antiochian Levant and the Nile Valley

Professor Michel Abs

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

It is Holy Thursday — the Thursday of the Mysteries.
The Upper Room.

Christ removes His garment, ties the towel around His waist, and bends down to wash the feet of His disciples. Peter refuses, and he hears the severe answer: “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me” (John 13:8).

This is not only a historical event. It is divine guidance and a program of action.

When we say that “the Church washes the feet of the barefoot,” we mean that the essence of the Church’s social service is this deliberate bending down toward those whom the road has exhausted.

It is a reversal of the logic of power: “Whoever wants to be first must be servant of all” (Mark 10:44). The Church is measured by the extent to which her clergy bend down.

The core idea is that authority in the Church is not domination. It is diakonia — service.

“Washing the feet of the barefoot” means touching directly the wounds of the weary and heavy-burdened, without mediation and without humiliation.

Washing feet means that I bend down until I become level with you, and I touch your pain with my own hands.

His Holiness Pope Francis called it a “field domain Church.” It leaves the sanctuary, becomes soiled with the dust of the road, and touches the wound.

The theological meaning of this is clear and unmistakable: whoever rejects the Church’s service, or refuses to serve, has not understood the mystery of the Eucharist.

The liturgy that is not completed by service to the barefoot becomes an empty ritual…

Highlighting the Latest Updates Related to the Reception of His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona in Baghdad, In Addition the Preparations for His Enthronement Ceremony as Patriarch at the Head of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and the World

Where His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona Will Be Enthroned as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and the world

In-kind and Cash Assistance for the Most Vulnerable Families in Syria

The Society of St Vincent de Paul in Damascus distributed food baskets, hygiene kits, and cash assistance to 272 of the most vulnerable families in the city, in cooperation with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through its Diakonia and Social Service Department – Syria’s Office.

MECC continues to implement projects supporting local community associations, with the aim of strengthening their role in serving society and empowering the most vulnerable groups, emphasizing the importance of partnership in serving humanity and promoting human dignity.

مرصد فلسطين – تقرير الجمعة 15 أيّار/ مايو 2026

In light of the worsening humanitarian and social conditions in the region due to the escalation of security operations, the Middle East Council of Churches presents a weekly report entitled "Palestine Monitor," which includes the latest developments in Palestine, especially amid the deteriorating living, social, and security conditions in the country. Some texts will be in Arabic, and some others in English, depending on the source.

في ظلّ تفاقم الظروف الإنسانيّة والاجتماعيّة في المنطقة جرّاء تصاعد العمليّات الأمنيّة فيها، يقدّم مجلس كنائس الشرق الأوسط تقريرًا أسبوعيًّا بعنوان "مرصد فلسطين" حيث يتضمّن آخر المستجدّات الّتي تشهدها فلسطين خصوصًا وسط تدهور الظروف المعيشيّة والاجتماعيّة والأمنيّة في البلاد. ستكون بعض النصوص باللغة العربية، وبعضها الآخر باللّغة الإنكليزيّة، وذلك حسب المصدر.

On Its World Day, Major Challenges Burden the Family

The Church Accompanies It

Exclusive: Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

Amidst international developments, the Middle East is experiencing crises, divisions, and conflicts that have imposed many social changes, negatively impacting family life and its growth its societies. In fact, this year's International Day of Families, which falls on May 15th of each year, bears a high level of injustice, violence, and hate speech...

Today, families face many challenges that impose repercussions on home education and the preservation of human values, which places them facing an uncertain future. Consequently, families are facing a wave of complexities that cast a shadow over their lifestyles and the interactions of their members.

A dangerous reality that families are facing today... a bitter truth we cannot ignore! The solution? Stand still.